Snape's Reminder

Katie Bell was sent to St Mungo's that very afternoon.

Although Kyle had promptly dispelled the Dark magic on the opal necklace and prevented her from suffering any serious harm, she had still been hit by an Imperius Curse.

When it came to damage caused by an Unforgivable Curse, St Mungo's was far more professional. Besides, the school hospital could not provide an environment where she could recuperate in peace.

As Katie left the school, word of what had happened to her in Hogsmeade spread throughout Hogwarts. However, no one knew the details. Apart from the few people who had been there, nobody knew that the opal necklace's intended target had actually been someone else.

Malfoy also became famous. The large number of points that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere for Slytherin and Hufflepuff inevitably gave everyone plenty to speculate about.

Just then, news came out that those points had been awarded to Draco Malfoy.

Yet Malfoy himself, the central figure in the whole affair, did not seem pleased at all.

"I've said it countless times already—I don't know what happened!" During dinner, Malfoy snapped at Zabini beside him. "I only went to Hogsmeade to send a letter. I had no idea some ridiculous attack had taken place there."

"But everyone says..."

"People have also said you're a brainless idiot. Are you?" Malfoy cut him off impatiently.

"And think about it properly. Even if I had been there, do you think I'd voluntarily help a Gryffindor?"

"Of course not," Zabini blurted out.

The Malfoy he knew would only have clapped and cheered from the sidelines if he saw a Gryffindor student struck by Dark magic.

"Exactly," Malfoy said. "I would never help a Gryffindor idiot!"

He still seemed angry as he viciously cut into his steak, his knife making